Due to the worsening Covid-19 pandemic, Mercedes-Benz SA Ltd (MBSA) on Tuesday announced that it will gradually reduce manufacturing operations, with a view to suspending production at its East London plant.
It will also reduce work in selected administrative departments on April 9 for five weeks. Connected to this is an assessment of global supply chains, which now cannot be maintained to their full extent.
An extension of this measure will depend on further developments.
In the interim, MBSA will be taking precautions to safeguard the health and safety of its employees and do everything it can to inhibit the spread of coronavirus among its workforce. As such MBSA is adhering to the directives of the World Health Organisation (WHO), National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the department of health for recommendations and guidelines on how to combat Covid-19.
With this suspension, Mercedes-Benz is helping to protect its workforce, to interrupt chains of infection and to contain the spread of the pandemic. At the same time, this will help the company to prepare for a period of temporary lower demand and to protect its financial strength.
Management is constantly monitoring the situation and will take further measures as required. Full operations will resume when the situation improves and will be communicated.
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